Crazy day at Dega. Lots to discuss. Hang on for the ride. (Monday moring update: Denny Hamlin released from hospital, team announces)

 

1. Did Regan Smith win?

 

Smith says yes. NASCAR says no. In the end, you have to feel bad for Smith, who has never won a Cup race and faces a good chance of being out of work by next year if his team can't find sponsorship.

 

Still, for all the anger and disappointment he felt after the race and after meeting with NASCAR officials, Smith should have known the rule. Or wrecked Tony Stewart. Simple as that.

 

Smith said he thought that once competitors are within sight of the finish line on the last lap anything goes. That's why he went below the yellow line - NASCAR's out of bounds line - and passed Stewart, beating him to the finish line by half a car length. About a minute after the race - after Smith's pit crew celebrated on pit road - NASCAR ruled for Stewart.

 

"The rule is, that number one on the last lap, anything goes,'' Smith said. "They always tell us that in the driver's meeting.''

 

First, let me state that I also attend nearly all the drivers meeting. In my 10 years I don't recall such phrasing. It wasn't mentioned that way in Sunday's driver's meeting.

 

Here's is what NASCAR's David Hoots told drivers in Sunday's meeting about the yellow line:

 

"A couple of warnings I want you to take heed to,'' Hoots told the drivers. ""You do a good job. It never hurts to refresh your memory. Race above the yellow line. If in our judgment you go below the yellow line to improve your position, you'll be black-flagged. If in our judgment you force somebody below the yellow line in an effort to stop them from passing you, you may be black-flagged.''

 

Hoots goes on to talk about aggressive driving zones. No mention is made of last lap scenarios or seeing the flagman.

 

There's a couple of issues. In February 2007, the end of the NASCAR Craftsman race at Daytona created controversy with Johnny Benson went below the yellow line to move into second at the finish. A NASCAR spokesman said publicly "when the drivers can see the checkered flag, you can get all you can get.''

 

Jimmie Johnson also said that drivers began talking about this issue after watching the end of Saturday's truck race at Talladega. Johnson said that anything goes rule was mentioned on the Speed Channel broadcast. Johnson said that created some confusion among drivers.

 

Here's the deal. A NASCAR spokesperson and a TV analyst are NOT policy makers for NASCAR. So even though they say something, it's up to the competitors to verify it with those who make the decisions.

 

That was Smith's mistake. He admits he nearly asked series officials in the drivers meeting about the last lap scenario but “I’m not enough of a veteran to ask questions in the meeting.’’

 

Ask the question. What is the saying about no question is a bad question?

 

Here is what NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said of the incident at the end:

 

"You cannot improve your position any time you're below the yellow line,'' he said. "In our judgment, he improved his position. In the drivers meeting here, it was clearly stated that you cannot improve your position below the yellow line. Even on the last lap.''

 

Hunter went on to say that series officials did not believe that Stewart forced Smith below the yellow line, thus no issue with Stewart. Hunter also said Smith was put to 18th because the penalty would be a pass through penalty. Since this was on the last lap there was no chance to do that. A pass through penalty would have made the driver the last car on the lead lap, so that's where Smith was place.

 

Still, Smith was not pleased after meeting with series officials.

 

"We just watched the tape and we can argue about it for five years,'' Smith said. "They're not going to change their decision. That's how NASCAR works. I totally disagree with them 110 percent. I totally disagree. They showed the tape to us. We all sat there and watched it together. In the driver's meeting, they tell us each week, if you are forced below the yellow line you can go there. I clearly moved to the outside, moved back to the inside. Tony made a move to the high side, made a move to the bottom side. My nose was in there. The only other option I had was to wreck him. They told me, "Oh, you could have got out of the gas.' They probably would have liked that because it would have made it easier on them. That doesn't take away from the fact that I'm proud of DEI.''

 

ON GETTING MOVED BACK IN THE STANDINGS: "Second or 18th, it really don't matter at this point to me. It's how it goes.

 

HOW HEARTBREAKING IS THIS: "You just went from winning a race to 18th. You tell me. I think it's a bad call. I think as the week goes on, everybody that's asked will probalby say it's a bad call and I don't know, take what they dish out and go to the next race.''

 

HOW DID THEY EXPLAIN THEIR DECISION TO YOU: "They're saying I could have checked up or I wasn't forced down there. I don't know how else to say it. The only other alternative was to wreck Tony.''

 

2. The Chase.

 

Jimmie Johnson extened his points lead to 72 points on Carl Edwards and 77 on Greg Biffle heading into Charlotte (qualifying is Thursday and race on Saturday night).

 

Edwards was bumpdrafting Biffle and Biffle got sideways and got into their Roush teammate Matt Kenseth, triggering a 12-car crash that included six Chase drivers. Edwards took the blame. Biffle said he wasn't upset, understanding that Edwards as pushing him and trying to help him. Still, Edwards placed 29th and Biffle 24th. Johnson was ninth.

 

Johnson's run was amazing. He lost the draft and fell a lap down 25 laps into the race, suffered slight damage in an early accident and drove through two other melees when he said that in one of them his vision was so obscured he just tried to avoid the shadows he thought he saw on the track.

 

3. Tony Stewart wins.

 

Tony Stewart's victory ended a career-long 43-race winless streak and marked his first win of the season.

 

"Obviously the last 12 months we've struggled trying to figure out what we've been missing and what we need to get to Victory Lane,'' he said. "It's just been one of those years that we've just had bad luck all season. We should have won Charlotte. We should have been in position to win Bristol. There were four or five shots we had at winning races this year and something happens at some point in the race that is just bad luck and stuff that's never happened. Man, to finally get that first one of the year but to do it here at Talladega, people don't understand what that means to win here.''

 

4. Tires

 

Blown tires caused problems for Brian Vickers, David Reutimann, Denny Hamlin and Mike Wallace. Goodyear said that Reutimann's blown tire was the result of a puncture. Goodyear was investigating the others and planned to further study it in its Akron, Ohio, plant. Also, Goodyear has a tire test at Indy on Monday and Tuesday with about a dozen teams to try to get a better tire for that track and avoid the issues from the July race.

 

5. Denny Hamlin.

 

Hamlin was kept overnight in a Birmingham hospital for observation. J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, said that Hamlin appearled to be an ankle injury (that Gibbs didn't think was serious) and a headache.

 

OK, there's a lot there. I'll stop for now.

 

 

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for following agreed-upon rules. Comments do not reflect the views or approval of The Virginian-Pilot or this Web site. Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the "Report Violation" link below the comment to alert an editor. Repeat offenders will be denied automatic posting privileges.